If you’re just looking at the stats, D’Angelo Russell had a pretty good rookie season.
He notched 13.2 points and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 35.1% from three and earning a PER of 13.2. He landed a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team and made constant improvement throughout the season, ending with a PER of 18.8 for the month of February.
With point guard being one of the most difficult positions to adapt to at the NBA level, Russell’s numbers as a rookie match up pretty well against top guards such as John Wall, Damian Lillard, and even Kyrie Irving when they were the same age.
But to understand the entirety of his season, you have to look at what the stats don’t tell you about — arguments with his coach, an overblown ego, and a viral video incident with Nick Young.
There’s a few ways to describe that season, and Russell was very honest with Rob Perez of Fox Sports.
“It was bad,” Russell said. “It wasn’t the best rookie year. But, I had some big learning experience from it and coming into this year — I’m beyond excited.”
It looked like Russell learned a lot in the Summer League with the Lakers this year, averaging 21.8 points and four assists per game. His chemistry with Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. was improving, and he proved that he can be the leader that this young unit needs. And he praised new Laker coach Luke Walton, who encouraged Russell to push aside any doubt of shooting.
“He wants me to shoot the ball when I’m open,” Russell said. “When a coach tells you to shoot the ball, it’s like a green light for you. You can’t want that more than anything. But the catch is you got to be good enough to know that when you’re not open, you gotta pass. That’s the responsibility he’s thrown at me and everybody.”
If D'Angelo Russell continues to improve in this way, Lakers fans will certainly have a lot to be excited about for the coming seasons.
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